december 03, 2012

DAY 1 | Ljubljana, Nov 15
18.54. Our double-decker was already waiting for us. Lots of cars, taxis, friends and family ... there's always that mixture of excitement and a bit of sadness leaving Ljubljana, leaving Slovenia. We love this country! And I am pretty sure we would never ever want to live and work anywhere else.

19.31. Bojana and Klemen joined us in Kranj and were welcomed with special attention - they brought fooood! Sandwiches & yogurt. Gotta get the necessary support for the 17-hour drive to Bremen, right?! WHAAAT?? Did someone say 17 hours?!?!?!?? Holly ....

20.07. Mana hopped in just before leaving the country when most of us were already half way into the movies we were watching. It looks funny seeing all those faces illuminated by various screens.

00.26. Katja and Valentina had things to do that evening and couldn't catch the departure in time. So they left Ljubljana in our fancy and very cozy Ford Galaxy later. Luka, the real gentleman, joined in. They caught us just before München at our second pit stop.

DAY 2 | Bremen, Nov 16

07.32. Somewhere in Germany, 2 hours to Bremen. We were really good and sleepy so the drive was smoother than expected. We were 2 hours ahead of schedule. Yes!! That means more time to rest!

10.22. Bremen hotel. Looked a bit dodgy from the outside. The tech crew welcomed us - all cheerful. Did they fly in or what??!

10.50. Room 323. Decent. Better than expected. Free internet access in the room?!? You gotta be kidding me! Great - some social media updates - and then hit the sack for 3 more hours.

14.00. Wakeup ringtone. Snooze. Another snooze. Who am I kidding .. we're meeting only at 15.30.

14.50. OK, It's time to get ready.

16.00. Lunch time. I guess that's the only time other than on stage that you will see PJ in line.

17.00. Sound check. The usual. The hall looks awesome. And the sound conditions on stage are very promising .. little delay and feedback from the hall itself, rather dry sound on stage: this could be a great show. Wonder how the crowd will be?

20.00. Lights off! Sharp, like clockwork - German style, naturally. Woow, this hall looked full. And the reception was really warm. From the performer's point of view, this is really important. You can open up, you can relax, and in perfect cases, this sets a virtual jump board to fly! This concert opened up in such manner.

After the intermission a very funny thing occurred: Rambo was the one to announce the next song. According to the set list it was supposed to be You're the inspiration where Barbara takes the intro solo. She leaves the stage right after previous song ends. And she did. But Rambo announced Umirem 100x dnevno instead, not realizing it at all. Die Tenören entered and it was on. Only Barbara stayed behind that curtain, forgotten and unable to move as the audience would spot her instantly. All she could do was to flirt with the right side of PJ.

22.20. Standing ovation. Another one! :))) It's just a great feeling to realize what you do - you make people happy, emotional, ecstatic. The after show meet and greet proved it - there were so many happy faces around us, asking for photos and signatures. Apparently northern Germany people - to our great satisfaction - really dig this kind of music. This kind of response makes it worthwhile to travel 2800 km in a weekend - in a bus!

DAY 3 | Frankfurt, Nov 17

12.31. Bus announcement: apparently there's Slovenian Philharmonic also touring Germany, joined by 3 divas: Jadranka Juras, our friend whose song Podej naprej we performed a year ago, Nuška Drašček, our former soprano and Miha Rojko's wife and ...... TAAAA DAAAAA - world famous Ana Netrebko!!! OMG, imagine that she comes to our concert!?!?? I guess it's gonna be an evening of Slovenian music in Frankfurt. And a great deal of these musicians are staying in the same hotel! :) And Vanja will have a chance to meet his sister - she also plays in Philharmonic orchestra.

14.45. Frankfurt hall resembled Ljubljana's new hall - Stožice. It looked fabulous from the outside already. And the interior wasn't lagging behind. A beautiful, circular hall really provided an awesome view! We were told that the hall had been nearly sold out - and this ignited us even more.

In the meantime, the usual stuff: rest, vocal warm-up, tasty lunch, some coffee, some drinks, some talking ... It is very helpful for us to have some free time before the concert - which isn't always so. Usually, in Slovenia, we have really tight schedules. A bus usually picks us up at 5 PM, which is - for the most of us - right after leaving work. Then we have 3 hours to get from Ljubljana to the concert, have a quick (and stressful) sound check, a concert and back to Ljubljana since most of us get up early in the morning. 60-70 times a year.

Anyway, back to Frankfurt. The concert was really TOP from the beginning of it! THere were a few Slovenian flags waving among the audience, making us, representatives of a 2 million people nation very proud. There were some familiar faces, with Nuška and our former alto Nataša standing out of the crowd. Literally.

After the show we go among the people, signing autographs, taking photos and just gathering people's reactions and responses. And when a larger group of PJ came down the stairs, a spontaneous applause happened, broadening across the foyer as a flood. What a feeling! :D

The hotel was very nice and when entering, we immediately heard Slovenian language. There was a company at the bar, from previously mentioned groups: the national philharmonic and the national classic choir. It wasn't long before we started exchanging songs and it was nice to hear familiar tunes. But there was a concert ahead ....

DAY 4 | Düsseldorf, Nov 18

11.00 Via Düsseldorf. No one's late. That's a first! :)

Every Sunday concert on this German tour starts at 19.00. I guess the Germans are accustomed to having Sunday concert a bit earlier. And we don't mind either. It means we can hit the road back home an hour earlier.

21.30 Again, the concert was a blast. Maybe not as much as the Frankfurt or Hamburg one, but just a notch less powerful. It shows: 3 concerts in a row are very difficult for all, body, soul and mind.

november 15, 2012

Do you ever get that gut feeling... you just know that your day is to be perfect from the moment you wake up? Well, maybe not the very same second you wake up but about in an hour...I got it today!

It was still early when I woke up, and yes, I just wanted to die instead of getting up. But nothing a hot shower and a cup of coffee can't fix. We need so little, right? ... Especially when I think about the concert last night and the people I work with...so great! So grateful! Still under powerful impression.

Let's hit the road!
And we did. Right after breakfast. Half of the bus was asleep, the other half was having fun, some not so happy - we all have something to figure out, some already miss their families and children, some are just tired ... this way or another. But it's always interesting to watch people how they operate during the tour. Some write poems, some diaries, some listen to their favourite music, some make music, some watch movies, some just rest or talk. We all handle things our own way. For instance - when I get cranky and fed up I put on my iPod and I don't really talk to people :) I daydream ...

Hamburg. Such a beautiful city. The architecture is breathtaking. It's like the time stood still for decades, a century maybe. We drove through the older part of the town and we were all mesmerized by the Pippi Longstockings' houses and streets and trees. I guess it took us to our childhoods.
I wish we had some more time to embrace it, to take in the city spirit ... Maybe next time we come here. And I really hope we do.

After arriving at the venue standard procedure took place: lunch, sound check, some time off ... I can't seem to understand why do we always get ready for the show in the last 5 minutes when we clearly have time to do it before and then just relax. I guess it's more fun and exciting this way.

So last 5 minutes, meeting in the back stage and .... my usual question: "Where's Katja?" :)

Oh, there she comes! OK! Let's goooooo! :)

The second we came on stage, the crowd went CRAZY! What is this? How come they're so excited? Did they hear us perform before? :)

The evening was turning from good, to great to fabulous!!! Just to sing and dance in-front of all those amazing happy people gives you even more energy to do all that even better. It was amazing! For me - one of the best concerts ever!!!!!

But I think it's not just the crowd... It's the music that came from us... It was different.

november 13, 2012

After a rather short night, following a PJ-unlikely modest and quiet celebration of our 'Light guy' becoming a proud father, a handful of brave singers challenged their luck at morning jogging ... and survived!

Breakfast was very domestic - small space, lots of people, slow waiters - so we had to share the cutlery, dishes and sometimes steal a bagel from your non-suspecting neighbor.

Our singing tribe parted into two: the shopping gang and the sleeping gang. The sleeping gang stayed in their beds with eyes closed for the bus departure to the concert hall and the shopping gang plundered a nearby shopping center like there's no tomorrow ... and we've all done a marvelous job.

A short trip to the concert hall, a quick lunch, the always-exciting sound check (not!) and waiting for the concert to begin, using all the gadgets we could use.

After the concert we hanged out with the audience. Have to say: people of Bochum are really kind and very nice. Would love to come back anytime!

Off to the hotel for another night of sweet German dreams.
Too late for sauna :(

november 12, 2012

As opposed to the day before, it was a gloomy, timid, and foggy day...

Perfect for travelling from Berlin to Bochum by bus…

Having someone massage your high-heel-swollen feet…

Contemplating about life…

Writing some thoughts into your diary…

Signing postcards…

Missing your loved ones at home and thinking about the milestones PJ is setting in Germany with huge success. I mean, come on! Just two days ago we performed at the same venue as Erykah Badu, Steve Miller, Keane and other superstars and got standing ovations! Wow. Still can't believe it.

The floor of the bus is usually an interesting sight when we travel for a long time – it’s packed with singers sleeping, reading or just stretching their backs. It’s like a long row of mummies all wrapped in their blankets or sleeping bags. An even more engaging (and sometimes kinky;) sight is the other singers trying to get from their seat to get a sandwich or a yogurt from the fridge in the lower level as they crawl and climb their limbs out, not to step on somebody’s foot or head. They look like new-born monkeys learning how to climb trees… :)

Our hotel in Bochum was located away from civilization, but was nevertheless cosy. And its basement sauna was just the right thing some of us needed!

The timidness of the day was soon swept away as our lights technician Matej Jelovšek announced he had become a father!!!!! :D The evening that at its very beginning seemed it was going to be quite peaceful and quiet soon turned into a joyous celebration of new life. Perhaps even of PJ.

Sun is shinning, the weather is sweet. Makes you wanna move those dancing feet… (could be a little warmer, but we'll survive;))

Time to explore one of the coolest (and not coldest ;)) cities in the world.

Where to begin … at the beginning, some might say. So be it.

Breakfast room. The meeting point of many. Talking to each other, where to go, what interests us and then choose what group to join ... opportunists! ;)

Today is the day PJ is going to spread around town like flowers in the wind … how poetic :P

Well, it's not time for me to be the tourist guide (even though that was once my wish) or to write a new chapter of a Lonely Planet. ;)

Let's just say it's a must-see city.

While calling one of my PJ friends on the phone, all I could hear was a song Dream with the angels. Whaaat??! Am I missing the soundcheck?? Thankfully not! It's just a part of PJ singing the song in a museum. Sounded beautiful!

... and believe it or not: another PJ group were singing the same song , at approximately the same time, at another location. How weird is that. Yeh, well...We.are.connected.

Our group came to the Brandenburg square. Wanted to get some coffee ... and there were the other PJ group, sitting at Starbucks. Just switched places.

An hour later ... an interesting circle bicycle is passing us. Woww, cool!! Wait, are they ...??!?? Yep, a third PJ gang riding it and laughing like crazy. :)

Even though Berlin is a huge city, PJ was bumping into each other on every conner, all day long.

And guess what ... our technical crew vibrates at the same level as PJ members. You just turned around and - there they were.

november 06, 2012

3:17 Alarm clock. First attempt of being in charge.
3:27 Alarm clock second attempt.
3:37 Alarm clock third attempt.Success.

With eyes closed, crawling to the bathroom. Teeth brush. Hair wash and a loooong shower. Well, now we are getting there ... to the waking point.

Still not completely awake, started to pack the clothes and other important things (make up, accessories, shoes,...). Last minutes before departure ... Waking point reached. I'm awake.
How come? Person in a rush, looking for little things, talking to herself, why on Earth hasn't she prepared all the things an evening earlier?? Yes, I know ... because that same person had such a good intention of getting up a little earlier. Well, maybe some other time.

A rainy morning. A short bus ride. Stop. SAT1. Everybody slowly moving towards the dressing room. But some still haven't reached the waking point. Maybe breakfast will do the trick.

Resting time again? No, not yet. It's more slipping into something comfortable and heading back to our cosy hotel "am Alex".

3 hours resting time. I'm pretty sure all of PJ spent that time in horizontal position = sleeping.

Yep. The day is not over, yet! ... there is still a concert in front of us.

Whether: rainy/cloudy/windy
Mood: fantastic
A short bus ride to the venue. Tempodrom. Wooow, a very impressive hall!
A lot of famous people preformed here already ... Amy Winehouse, Keane, Nick Cave, Massive Attack ... we feel so privileged to perform here.

19:30. Half an hour before the concert. Only positive vibes surrounding us ... it's gonna be a kick-ass show!

20:00 concert starts. Conga ... PA-RA-RA!
The crowd went wild. What a thrill.
We know we're on the right way. We have even more energy that we've had at the beginning. So, if we were at 100, now we're at 130.
Intermission. Already?
Shoes off. Water. Quick relaxation time. Shoes on. Stage.
At the end of the second half. Energy at 180. Such fun.

Meet and greet. Hanging with our fans. Talking, exchanging impressions ...
Back in our changing room. Shoes off. Changing into comfortable clothes. Water. OUCH! Feet hurting as hell. But what can you do - gotta look good in high heels :)

Mood: overwhelmed.
Hotel. Tired. But still found the energy to get a taste of Berlin's famuos night life. But not more - gotta be ready for the Helloween next eve.

And then...sleeping time.
And then...looking forward for the next day.